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Question

Difficulty: HardExample Context Clues

During the industrial furnace overhaul, the engineers replaced all the refractory components, such as alumina firebricks, ceramic kiln tiles, and graphite melting crucibles, to ensure the containment vessel could withstand extreme operational stress. In this sentence, the word refractory most nearly means which of the following?

  1. A
    capable of bending or reflecting light waves
  2. resistant to intense heat and thermal degradationAnswer
  3. C
    stubbornly disobedient and difficult to manage
  4. D
    easily melted and susceptible to thermal breakdown

Answer

resistant to intense heat and thermal degradation
The sentence provides clear illustrative examples following the phrase 'such as'—namely, 'alumina firebricks, ceramic kiln tiles, and graphite melting crucibles'. Because all of these items are specialized industrial substances engineered to endure high temperatures without melting or breaking down, the word 'refractory' must mean 'resistant to intense heat and thermal degradation'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the example clue transition and the listed items in the sentence.
The signal phrase 'such as' introduces the examples 'alumina firebricks, ceramic kiln tiles, and graphite melting crucibles'.
Example context clues use explicit instances to illustrate the category or property of the unfamiliar target word.
2
Analyze the common characteristic shared by all provided examples.
Firebricks, kiln tiles, and melting crucibles are all specialized materials built to endure extreme temperatures without deteriorating or melting.
Identifying the shared defining trait of the example items reveals the contextual meaning of 'refractory'.
3
Evaluate the answer options against the deduced trait.
The meaning 'resistant to intense heat and thermal degradation' directly reflects the thermal endurance of the listed materials.
The correct contextual synonym must align with the physical function of the examples.

Key Concept

Using specific example context clues signaled by 'such as' to determine the specialized technical meaning of a multiple-meaning vocabulary word.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Example Context Clues

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